1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automated machinery and, more particularly, to an apparatus for treating edges of panels such as glass panels, for instance in edge deletion, border grinding, arrissing, edge seaming, in product application on the edges.
2. Background Art
Various types of materials are in the form of panels at some point in their processing. For instance, glass panels are used in windows, wood panels are commonplace in the construction industry, etc.
Panels are difficult to handle due to their relative large sizes with respect to their thickness, and due to the relative fragility associated with their thickness. In manufacturing, panels are therefore often displaced on conveyors upon which they lie flat, which facilitates their displacement.
It is often required to perform work on panels. For instance, panels of raw material (e.g., glass, wood, metal) are regularly subjected to steps of edge deletion, border grinding, arrissing, edge seaming, so as to remove or smoothen rough edges. Automated equipment has been designed for such tasks.
Due to the size of the panels, the automated equipment is often bulky. This results in issues pertaining to floor space in plants. Moreover, the treatment of each panel edge one after the other can result in the slowing down of a production line.